We emailed out a survey to the Chamber Membership. If you haven’t yet filled yours out, please do so. A results summary of the survey will be discussed at the quarterly membership breakfast meeting. You said it, we will listen! Help us make the Angel Fire Chamber the best that it can be. Thank you!

After Kellie Johnson’s parents moved to Angel Fire, she and her husband Jarad and daughter Hannah came for what they thought was just a visit from Ohio. But the beauty of the Moreno Valley captured their hearts and the idea of being closer to her mom was the icing on the cake. So two and half years ago, the Johnson’s became full time residents of Angel Fire. Kellie told me she will live here forever.

Her decision to open the Candy Store was an easy one. She said, “Angel Fire is a Resort town and there was no candy store, plus the ice-cream shop had closed, so I saw a need.” The Candy Store offers a large selection of many varieties of candies. Kellie personally selected, “the best of the best” when deciding what quality of candy she would sell in her store. Her mix & match chocolates come from a 300 year old Italian recipe, shipped from Ohio. Her fudge is shipped fresh weekly from Oregon and her truffles, which I had the privilege to sample on my visit, come from Oregon. They come pre-boxed, 4 for $10.00. All are delicious and heavenly! Her cupcakes are made from scratch almost every morning. Visit her Facebook page, like it and follow to see fun yummy daily specials and photos.

At The Candy Store you’ll also find soft serve ice-cream, toys, craft kits and gift items. A trip up and down the aisles will surely make you smile and understand the phrase, Like a kid in a candy store! With Halloween just around the corner, The Candy Store is your one stop shopping place. They have “spooky treats, truffles and other ghoulish surprises” according to Kellie, even witches brew and beetle juice. There is something for everyone.

The Candy Store off season hours are Friday through Monday 1:00 pm to 7:00 pm. As soon as the ski slopes open they will resume their regular hours of 11:00 am to 8:00 am seven days a week. Visit now and satisfy your sweet tooth!

Please join the excitement as we capture the moment! Construction is underway for the new
permanent student classrooms. Please be cautious as you drive in and follow directions where to park. This is a construction site and safety is very important.

When: September, 24 2015 from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm

Where: Moreno Valley High School

Sponsored by the Angel Fire Chamber of Commerce and the Moreno Valley High School.

If you encounter a bear, Department of Game and Fish officials recommend you:

Stop, and back away slowly while facing the bear. Avoid direct eye contact, as the bear may consider that a threat. Do not run. Make yourself appear large by holding out your jacket. If you have small children, pick them up so they don’t run.

Give the bear plenty of room to escape, so it doesn’t feel threatened or trapped. If a black bear attacks you, fight back using anything at your disposal, such as rocks, sticks, binoculars or even your bare hands. Aim for the bear’s nose and eyes.

If the bear has not seen you, stay calm and slowly move away, making noise so the bear knows you are there. Never get between a mother bear and her cubs.

Keep garbage in airtight containers inside your house. Never place garbage outside. Take it to the Angel Fire Transfer Station or the Angel Fire Recycle Center. Never leave a trash bin at the recycle center unlocked.

Remove bird feeders. Bears see them as sweet treats, and often they will look for other food sources nearby.

Never put meat or sweet-smelling food scraps such as melon in your compost pile.

Keep your camp clean, and store food and garbage properly at all times. Use bear-proof containers when available. If not, suspend food, toiletries, coolers and garbage from a tree at least 10 feet off the ground and 4 feet out from the tree trunk.

Keep your tent and sleeping bag free of all food smells. Store the clothes you wore while cooking or eating with your food.

When I came to work at the Chamber in June of 2011, the Board of Directors challenged me to develop a new marketing campaign which would jump-start and revitalize Chamber membership. The catch? There were no funds to support the campaign. So I put my thinking cap on, and the “I Know Jo” was born! The idea was: members would invite me to visit and “market” their businesses to me; and I would publish a “review” of their business in the Chamber e-Blast and they would be featured on our web-site. I thought the idea would work for a few weeks, after which the Chamber would move on to another idea. Instead, the campaign took on a life of its own, finding both willing businesses and an eager audience. Who knew?!!?!?!

I love being part of such a successful project! I have met so many interesting people; and I have been able to channel my inner journalist, promoting Chamber businesses to you with words and pictures. People still tell me, all the time, how much they enjoy the articles. And they would like to have all the fun that I am having. Many ask me, “Why can’t I go on an I know Jo?” Thank you all for your support – and – here’s your chance! Enter and win the Chamber contest described below, and you can go with Jo on an “I Know Jo!”

Based on the fact that the Chamber of Commerce is a member-based organization, this contest is all about new memberships! The rules are very simple. Beginning Monday, September 21, 2015 and running through October 16, 2015, the person bringing in the most new memberships to the Chamber of Commerce will win an absolutely fabulous, fun-filled tag-along, going with Jo on an “I Know Jo!” Oh, and did I tell you? The new members you sign up, if they want, will get to go, too! Then you, as well as your new members, will be featured in an “I Know Jo!” article of your own!

Do a mental inventory of your business friends and acquaintances, and ask them to join the Chamber! Let them know one of the first benefits could be a “secret” surprise welcome, guaranteed to be fun! Don’t wait or hesitate. Stop by the Chamber office today to pick up a few new member applications and start rounding up those new members. Maybe you will “Go with Jo on an I Know Jo!”

Remembering I Know Jo’s From The Past

All Things Twisted
05-10-2012

Angel Fire Ski & Snowboard School
01-10-2013

Roadrunner Tours
01-18-2012

Mountain Sports of Angel Fire
07-16-2014

Golden Eagle RV Park & Store
07-10-2014

Pacheco’s Landscaping & Nursery
06-01-2012

Angel Fire Visitor Center
08-02-2011

Los Rios River Runners
06-11-2011

Enchanted Circle Pottery, Dirt Divas
09-24-2013

Rotary Interact Club
10-31-2012

Angel Fire Small Animal Hospital
02-10-2012

Angel Fire Physical Therapy
11-17-2011

Laguna Vista Lodge, Historic Restaurant & Saloon
07-27-2012

Angel Fire Resort Nordic Center
12-13-2011

Taos Lifestyles
06-14-2013

Girl Scout of New Mexico Trails
08-01-2012

The Pub n’grub
03-07-2013

Eagle Nest PTA
10-17-2013

Bobcat Pass
06-08-2011

These are just a few of the awesome fun “I Know Jo” stories I’ve had the privilege to experience. Bring in the most new memberships to the
Angel Fire Chamber of Commerce, between September 21 and October 14, 2015 and you can win!

Chairmen of the Sustainability Committee: Tim and Louise Herfel pictured with Jo and Yard Art by Brice Adams

What is Spare Part Art Auction?

It is an auction of recycle/used/bound for the dump items that have been turned into pieces of awesome art by people from all over the Moreno Valley. Recycling old junk not only benefits the environment, it breaths new life into old objects that were once destined for the landfills. It is an educational outreach to show people there are many ways to re-purpose old junk.

How did Spare Part Art Auction come to Angel Fire?

About a year ago, when Tim and Louise joined the sustainability committee, Louise brought with her, energetic abilities and ideas on fundraising. A similar event, Spare Part Art, takes place near their home in Dallas, Texas. It is put on by the Ft. Worth Ave. Development Group. She said in only five years, this auction now raises approximately $10,000.00 a year.And I had donated an art piece to the same kind of auction in Lubbock several years ago. We got excited at the possibilities. The committee decided to give it a try. The date is set for Saturday, September 5, 2015 from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm. The location will be in the plaza underneath Angel Fired Pizza, behind Mountain Sports, in front of Cafe Expresso, Caldwell Banker, and Angel Fire Flooring. Angel Fired Pizza will be donating a portion of their sales to the auction. Jazz musician Miles Bonny will entertain you as you peruse the art and make your bids. Bidding will end at 5:30 pm.

We are still taking donations if you would like to create and donate an artistic masterpiece. Roll up your sleeves and make one persons trash another persons treasure. Create and donate!

All art piece donations must be brought to the Chamber office at 3407 Mountain View Blvd. this week no later than Thursday September 3. Please bring a short written description of your artwork along with your name for the bid sheets.

Everyone is invited to come place your bids. Proceeds from the auction will benefit the Moreno Valley Arts Council Building fund, the Angel Fire Chamber of Commerce, and the Village of Angel Fire Sustainability Committee.

Habitat For Humanity will be on site with a truck during Spare Part Art. Clean it up! Old toilets, sinks, building materials, etc. etc., load them up and bring them to the truck!

Below are a few of the items up for bid. Which one wants to go home with you?

The Sustainability Committee would also like for your business to sign up and take the Green Business Pledge:

Green Business Pledge

We believe that a successful business is dependent on a healthy environment. We are actively working to show our environmental responsibility to our community by committing to the following objectives:

To be an environmentally responsible business within our community.

To conserve energy, water, materials and other resources.

To develop and implement practices which minimize pollution and waste.

To strive for continuous improvement.

If your business has already been doing its part, we invite you to comment below on what efforts you have made in your drive towards creating a sustainable business. Activities and areas to consider could include, but are not limited to, any of the following: